Rob Halford Finally Ready to Write Memoir

Judas Priest singer Rob Halford said he was ready to write his memoir, after having previously insisted he’d never do so because of privacy concerns.

It’s possible his change of heart could have been inspired by reaction to the new book by former bandmate K.K. Downing, who’s taken the opportunity to break his silence over the issues that led to his departure in 2011.

“I was thinking about this last night,” Halford told Full Metal Jackie in a new interview. “I’m gonna give you an exclusive. I am going to write a book. But I was thinking about things that have happened to me that people don’t know about. … I was personally blessed by the Virgin Mary in a church in England. If that’s not gonna make you read my book, I don’t know what is.”

You can listen to the interview below.

Three years ago, Halford explained that he had no intention of telling his story. “I know that my own life, my own experiences have something in them that people could learn from, that could really help somebody," he said. "And that it could be written in a way that needn't be exploitative or titillating. But I'm a private person, and I can say right now, it won't happen."

In the new interview, he reflected, “I think it has to be done, because you get these knockoffs and you get people giving their impressions and their interpretations, which is all good. And I think when it comes from the source, it’s really important.”

He said he’d “had so many beautiful things happen” over his lifetime. “I’ve had a very, very rich life and I’m still having it," he said, "and I can’t be more grateful than I am right now.”